Patent GB-728193-A (GB)
Title: Improvements in or relating to control units for use with statistical record carriercontrolled tabulating or printing machines
Inventor: LINGARD FREDERICK ERNEST
Filed: 1953-06-24
Abstract: 728,193. Statistical apparatus. ADDRESSOGRAPH-MULTIGRAPH, Ltd. Oct. 14, 1953 [June 24, 1953], No. 17531/53. Class 106 (1). A control unit for a statistical record-carrier controlled tabulating or printing machine having at least one solenoid for effecting a printing or counting operation is characterized in that the sensing device associated with the record carrier selectively operates a number of switches according to the result of the sensing, and that the control unit comprises a board having a plurality of pairs of sockets arranged in groups, and a number of solenoids arranged for energization under control of at least some of the switches for placing a pair of sockets in one group in communication with each other and simultaneously placing a pair of sockets in at least another group in communication with each other, the plug board also having input sockets for connection to an electric supply and output connections to the printing or tabulating device. Fig. 1 shows a printing- plate 101 bearing for example a name and address on the side not shown, and a number of sockets 102 adapted to receive a number of tabs 103 in such a manner that part of the tab projects from the edge of the printing plate. The projecting part of the tabs 103 have holes 104 positioned thereon at selected locations to serve as record carriers for data relevant to the matter on the printing plate 101. In the form shown, the tab 103 may have up to four holes 104, the possible positions WXYZ being indicated at the corners of a square. The sensing device, not shown, has 48 needles which when the printing plate 101 is in the sensing poistion descend towards the tabs 103 to sense whether or not the tabs have any holes in the positions shown. Each needle has a switch associated therewith which is closed if no hole is present and remains open if the associated needle passes through the related hole. Each tab has a central hole 105 for correct location of the tab relative to the sensing means. In an example shown in Fig. 1, reading from left to right, the tabs 103 represent the year of birth, 1st and 2nd, the 3rd and 4th tabs indicate the months of birth, the 5th and 6th indicate miscellaneous data, 7th and 8th tabs represent the number in family, the 9th and 10th tabs represent religion and 11th and 12th tabs represent profession or trade. The first four needles are associated with switches 11 to 41 associated with solenoids 1<11> to 4<11>, Fig. 3, for energizing the latter when a switch is closed. These four solenoids co-operate with armatures 106 to 109 carried by plungers 110 to 113 of insulating material, each plunger having 12 bands of conducting material 114 indicated by crossed lines in Fig. 3. Each band 114 cooperates with a pair of contacts 115,116. When any of the four solenoids 1<1> to 4<11> is energized the associated plunger 111 to 113 is moved against the spring 117 to the left as viewed in Fig. 3. The switches 5<1> to 81 are associated with the 5<11> to 8<11> needles respectively and are similarly arranged to actuate solenoids 5<11> to 8<11> which control four metallic banded plungers 150 to 153 to give ten separate electrical paths through the bands to energize one of a set of ten solenoids 165 to 174, Fig. 5. The plug board 199, Fig. 2, has three birth year groups 200, 201, 202 of sockets and six further groups of sockets 203 to 208. Each birth year group is sub. divided into twelve sub-groups 209 to 220, Fig. 5, each sub-group having rows A, B, C of sockets. The plug board has a number of interconnected positive sockets 241, Fig. 2, connected through a main switch 242 to the wire 185. The main switch is operated by the plates 101 passing through the machine and is located immediately after the sensing device. Specifications 555,033, 558,793 and 560,570, [all in Group XVI], are referred to.